Portrait of John Brown

From the collections of the
Kentucky Historical Society
Accession Number 1982.6

John Brown was passionate about fighting slavery. He helped slaves run away and gave them land and protection. He also led a group that violently attacked people and places that supported slavery. He planned a raid on a federal stash of weapons at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He planned to use the weapons to arm slaves. The raid failed, and many of Brown’s men were killed. He was captured and later hanged for murder, treason, and conspiring with slaves. This painting of Brown was done after his death.